Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05912 on 8 March 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

As indicated in the draft Ferries Plan published on 21 December 2011, we intend to explore what legislative provision would be involved in setting up a Ferries Regulator. Further details will be made available in the final Ferries Plan due to be published later this year.

Staff involved in reviewing the need for a ferries regulator and exploring the necessary legislative provision are also engaged on a range of other ferry policy issues.

Grant of £2.699 million of European Regional Development Fund was awarded under the 1994-99 Highlands and Islands Objective 1 programme towards the cost of the construction of the funicular.

This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to reply to you.

This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to reply to you.

Repayment charges are made by local authorities under section 172 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and should be registered in the appropriate property register. Information on the number of charges made is not held centrally. However, I have asked Sheenagh Adams, Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, how many repayment charges have been registered since the provision came into force on 1 April 2009. Her response is as follows:

Three repayment charges have been registered in the Land Register and six have been recorded in the Register of Sasines as at 31 January 2012.

Work is currently well advanced on securing a new contract for ferry services to the Northern Isles which will be in place from July 2012. The tender documentation allows bidders a certain amount of flexibility in their pricing proposals. However, this flexibility falls far short of dynamic pricing. Once the new contract is in place the operator will be required to publish the tariff scheme for the services for each year in advance and must not, without the consent of Scottish ministers, make changes to the published scheme.

The Deloitte Touche final report was removed from the Scottish Government’s website due to the age of the document (1998). Given continued interest in this report, the final report and the Addendum to the report have been put back on the website and are available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/02/6773.

We have not taken legal advice regarding the possibility of introducing a temporary Scottish-run top-up to the feed-in tariff scheme as it is not clear that such a scheme would benefit the sector, and would need State Aid clearance as it is likely to conflict with eligibility for the feed-in tariff. The view has been expressed by a number of installers that solar PV installations will still offer a good investment at the lower tariff for many householders, due to the reduction in the capital cost of solar PV panels. The priority for the industry is long-term stability and we await the resolution of the UK Government's appeal against the High Court ruling against the timing of their proposal.